In key studies psychologists like B L Margolis & W H Kroes (1974), P Smith (1978), Howard S Friedman & Stephanie Booth-Kewley (1987) have shown that supervisors and junior-middle managers generally tend to end up more stressed than either workers/operators or senior management.

 

Why is this?

 

Well, as the title of this 1-day workshop suggests, they get caught in the middle between the demands of senior management - the policy-makers with lots of Authority - and the workers/operatives with the Power to make those decisions work or not. The 'Piggies' have limited Authority to make decisions and only a certain amount of Power to implement decisons.

 

In a seriously-dysfunctional organisation, life for the Piggies is hell! Senior management blame them for poor productivity, inadequate quality, customer complaints, ineffective discipline, etc. The workers/operators categorise them as 'toadies' of insensitive, ruthless and/or incompetent management.

 

In a thriving organisation, the Piggies are key Integrators in building what Ichak Adizes calls CAPI - Coalesced Authority Power & Influence.

To contribute in this way, Piggies need both understanding and competence.

 

Another reason Piggies often end up significantly stressed is that all too frequently workers/operators get promoted onto and up the 'management ladder' because they are successful at what they have been doing - not because they have assessed as very likely to be successful at what they will be doing.

 

                                                                         Create Understanding, enhance Competence, build Confidence

These are the aims of the 'Piggies in the Middle' workshop.

 

The first half of the day is concerned with helping supervisors and junior-middle managers to understand their dual direction-facing role, what they can contribute to an organisation and how to do it. The morning also includes some basic stress management techniques.

 

The second half concentrates on developing essential management skills such as:-

• Understanding Instructions
• Organising & Planning
• Commanding & Delegating
• Monitoring & Reporting
• Being a Role Model

 

With a variety of values, beliefs, attitudes, skills and experiences, participants in the workshop will come with different strengths and weaknesses; but they should all enhance the former and improve on the latter.

 

'Piggies in the Middle' is highly interactive and usually enjoyed by those who attend. It can be run as a stand-alone workshop or as part of a management development programme. It is suitable for in-house presentation or as an open workshop via a Chamber of Commerce, Business Link or other business support agency.

 

 

 

Please contact me to learn more and to discuss your needs.